Hidalgo County Birding, 1/8/10

I headed up north of Elsa to do some county birding today. My first stop was along FM 88 at Delta Lake for Yellow Warbler. They've been present here the last five winters at least. Two popped up right on cue across from the park headquarters.



While looking at the Yellow Warblers I saw a big brown bird on the lake. My first Hidalgo County Brown Pelican! With the Gray Flycatcher yesterday, my county list is now up to 359.



Next stop was Sal del Rey to pick up some seaside birds for the county year list. Hidalgo county is land-locked and hypersaline Sal del Rey acts like our seashore. I wasn't disappointed as I found five Sanderlings, 27 Snowy Plovers and 31 Wilson's Phalaropes.



A bonus was this Sedge Wren in the grass behind the freshwater cienega.



A quick stop at the Rio Beef Yard picked up my Brewer's Blackbirds for the year and then it was a run down Brushline Road to check the ponds. Not much on the water but pishing at the flooded woods south of the big pond turned up lots of stuff including a Golden-crowned Kinglet and this surprise Winter Wren.



Sal del Rey birds

Gadwall 1
Eared Grebe 35
Turkey Vulture 2
Cooper's Hawk 1
Harris's Hawk 2
Crested Caracara 1
American Kestrel 1
Snowy Plover 27
Killdeer 4
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Sanderling 5
Least Sandpiper 90
Wilson's Snipe 1
Wilson's Phalarope 31
Laughing Gull 15
Ring-billed Gull 21
Mourning Dove 4
Common Ground-Dove 2
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 3
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 6
Great Kiskadee 3
White-eyed Vireo 1
Green Jay 2
Black-crested Titmouse 2
Verdin 1
Bewick's Wren 1
House Wren 4
Sedge Wren 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
Northern Mockingbird 6
Long-billed Thrasher 1
Orange-crowned Warbler 8
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 15
Pine Warbler 3
Common Yellowthroat 1
Lark Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 3
Lincoln's Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 3
Pyrrhuloxia 6
Eastern Meadowlark 2

Brushline Road birds.

Gadwall X
Blue-winged Teal X
Northern Shoveler X
Northern Pintail X
Green-winged Teal X
Northern Bobwhite 6
Least Grebe 2
Pied-billed Grebe 1
Great Blue Heron 1
White-tailed Kite 2
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Sora 4
Common Moorhen 1
American Coot 2
Eastern Phoebe 2
Great Kiskadee 3
White-eyed Vireo 1
Green Jay 2
Black-crested Titmouse 1
Verdin 1
Bewick's Wren 2
Winter Wren 1
Marsh Wren 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
Northern Mockingbird 2
Long-billed Thrasher 1
American Pipit 2
Orange-crowned Warbler 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 15
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 12
Savannah Sparrow 30
Lincoln's Sparrow 5
Swamp Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 2
Pyrrhuloxia 1
Western Meadowlark 5